Azel stores lyman



-UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

AZEL STORRS LYMAN, O-F NEI/V YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED PROCESS OF SEPARATING THE FIBERS OF WOOD AND OTHER SUBSTANCESFOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER-PULP.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,5l, dated March 4,1862.

To all whom, it may concern..-

Beit known that I, AzEL STORES .LYMAN, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Process of SeparatingtheFibers of Wood, Flax, Hemp, and other Substances, and Extracting theColoring-Matte: s Therefrom and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, inwhich- Figures l and 2 are vertical sections at right angles to eachother of an apparatus in which my invention is performed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothfigures.

This invention is based upon the known fact that when Wood, hemp, flax,and other vegetable substances are heated in Water at a temperature atwhich it boils under a pressure of several atmospheres the gummy andcoloring matters by which the fibers are held together are dissolved, orat least so much,

softened that they hold the fibers but loosely together.

The invention consists in effecting the separation of the fibers of suchsubstances by whippin g, beating, rubbing, grinding, or picking themwhile they are exposed to the action of water at such temperature andunder such pressure as above mentioned.

It also consists in the washing out of the coloring-matters and gums andother soluble parts from such substances by changing the water while thesaid' substances are being whipped, beaten, rubbed, ground, or picked,and while they are at the same time subjected to the action of water orsteam at such temperature'and under such pressure as hereinbeforementioned. The separated and bleached fiber thus obtained is applicableas paperstock or in the manufacture oftextile fabrics, according to itsnature.

The apparatus in and by which my invention is performed maybe of variousconstructions; but that which I have represented in the drawings is whatI consider best adapted to the purpose.

A A are two upright trunks, of cylindrical or other form and of similarsize, connected at their bottoms by a horizontal trunk B, whichconstitutes the casing of a mill, and at their -to a grinding or rubbingaction. This cone is secured firmly upon a central horizontal shaft E,which passes through stuffing-box bearings a a in the lower parts of thecylinders A A', and the said shaft has secured to it on opposite sidesof the cone D two series of obliquely-arranged blunt-edged blades b band b b', which operate as beaters for beating the substance undertreatment, and also with a screw-like action to cause the substance tobe fed from the trunk A to the mill B D, and from the said mill to thetrunk A. The portion of the shaft E which passes through the trunk A maybe solid; but the portion which passes through the trunk A is hollow andis perforated at c c to communicate with the interior of a conicalscreen F, which is united with the shaft and grindingcone D. The latterportion of the shaft is also perforated at d outside of the trunk A tocommunicate with the interior of a stationary box G, which surrounds thesaid shaft, and which should be packed around the shaft with astuffing-box at each end. This box is for the escape of Water from theapparatus, and has attached to it an escapepipe e. This pipe e issurrounded by a jacketpipe f, through which fresh water is supplied tothe apparatus, the said jacket having 4a pipe h leading from it to thebottom of the trunk. This pipe h has connected with it a steam-pipe t'for the introduction to the apparatus of steam from a boiler suitablyarranged.

The operation of the apparatus is conducted in the following manner: Thebonnet of. is removed and the trunks A A filled or partly filled withthe substance to be treated, which, if it be wood, should be cut orsplit into sticks and free from knots. The apparatus is then filled upwith water through the pipes f h, the bonnet a* put on, and the waterheated up to a temperature of from SOOo to 400 Fahrenheit bytheintroduction through the pipes t' and h of steam at suitablepressure.. After the water has stood at this temperature fora fewmoments the gums will have been softened sufficiently, and rotary motionis coinmunicated to the shaft E to set the grindingcone D and beaters bb b b infoperation. The beaters feed the substance under treatment tothe grinding-cones D and carry them away therefrom, and While thebeating and grinding proceed the said beaters produce a circulation ofthe whole of the Water and solid matters through the apparatus in thedirection of the arrows shown in Fig. 1, causing all parts of thesubstances to be repeatedly subjected to the beating andgrinding-operations. As these operations proceed, the proper temperaturein the apparatus is kept up by the continued introduction of steam atthe pipes 'L' h, and while pure Water is allowed to flow in continuouslythrough the pipes f h the Water charged With gums and coloringmatters isallowed to escape through the screen F, hollow shaft E, box G, and' pipee, the screen being prevented from being choked up bythe fiber by thecentrifugal force given to the latter by the rapid rotary motion of thescreen and beaters. This operation is continued until the Water escapingat e becomes nearly clear, when most ot' the guinmy and coloring matterswill have been washed from the fibers. The heat carried off by theescaping Water will be to a great extent saved by the introduction ofthe incoming pure Water through the jacket-pipe f.

An apparatus operating in all essential respects the same as thatdescribed may be heated to raise the temperature of the Water to thedesired degree by the direct application of iire to its exterior.

4 I do not claim, broadly, the boiling of vegetable ber under pressure;but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is`

l. Eecting the separation of the fibers of wood, hemp, flax, or othervegetable matters oring matters or other soluble parts from the fibersby changing the Water While the substances are being subjected to thecombined or simultaneous action above specified.

' AZEL STORRS LYMAN.

Witnesses:

M. M. JIMPTON, JAMES LAIRD.

